Worms? Of course!

In response to an earlier post on bokashi, Juls writes this in the comments:

"What I need is a relatively low maintenance, low cost system that I can do indoors or at least in a garage (away from curious wildlife) and from which I can spread the results from directly onto the soil or mix in with planters. I live at high elevation (8,100) with plenty of sun but thin soils , so the more organic materials I can add to the soil the better....I wasn't too sure of the worms either ('vermicomposting') -- can they handle all the waste a family produces on a daily basis? Any other ideas?"

Worms are it, girlfriend. Very easy to care for, will live comfortably in a garage, and the richest organic matter ever will soon be yours. You can get started with a fancy stacking worm bin, which I have and love, or a simple plastic storage tub with a few modifications.

If you go to my worm blog Worms of Endearment, you'll see a link on the side to download a worm composting handout that pretty much tells you everything you need to know. Worms cna easily handle all a family's waste, with exception of meat and dairy scraps. They'll eat paper, too. If you produce a lot of "worm food" waste, just start with more worms--maybe 2 pounds instead of 1. Let me know if you've got any questions once you get into it. But yes, worms are absolutely a great way to have a clean, not at all smelly or icky composting operation indoors.